My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1179: Time Flows Differently Inside and Outside

Li Fan remained uncertain of the ramifications should he inadvertently stumble into those voids.

He lacked any reliable means to detect their presence.

Consequently, he resorted to a rudimentary strategy: he deployed his remaining stone puppets to scout the path ahead, strictly steering clear of any routes where previous puppets had vanished without a trace.

With each stone puppet lost, Li Fan’s heart grew heavier.

At this rate, he feared that reaching the heart of the Darkest Star Sea might remain an unattainable dream within this lifetime.

Yet, the very disaster Li Fan dreaded failed to manifest.

When his count dwindled to thirty-three puppets, they traversed the void for a prolonged duration without a single one vanishing.

“It appears these voids are not ubiquitous throughout the Darkest Star Sea. Instead, they reside in dense clusters confined to specific areas.”

“Could they be outside the boundaries of the Xuanhuang Realm?” the Holy Embryo Li Fan pondered.

With those thirty-three puppets blazing a trail and Li Fan trailing as a streak of sword light, they accelerated into the yawning darkness.

“Things are proceeding with unexpected ease.”

“Distance-wise, we are far removed from the Xuanhuang Realm, yet my Xuanhuang Realm sword dao incarnation shows no signs of dwindling power.”

“This is truly intriguing.”

Ordinarily, without the sustenance of their home world, the various laws of nature should experience some degree of attrition in the outside void.

However, no such weakening occurred.

In fact, the sword dao, which had long since hit a plateau within the Xuanhuang Realm, found its bottleneck loosening after only a brief sojourn in the void.

Despite this Holy Embryo’s mediocre talent, a deluge of insights and realizations flooded his mind.

It felt as if he had suddenly blossomed into a peerless prodigy.

Holy Embryo Li Fan felt a sudden urge to abandon all else to delve into this profound comprehension of the Dao.

Nevertheless, he invoked the Immortal Heart Mantra to forcibly stifle the impulse.

Such an anomaly compelled Li Fan to let his thoughts wander.

“Could it be that the entire Darkest Star Sea is governed by a singular, overarching set of laws?”

“Perhaps the Xuanhuang Realm’s sword dao is but a fragment of the Star Sea’s collective wisdom.”

“Beyond our world, amidst the void, one glimpses a much broader heaven and earth. The upper limit has been subtly expanded.”

“It is truly a realm where peril and opportunity are intertwined.”

“I suspect this is why both the Heavenly Doctor and the Immortal Ancestor frequent the Darkest Star Sea.”

The mere thought of them increased the weight in Li Fan’s chest.

He had only arrived, yet he had already reaped immense rewards.

He could barely fathom the formidable heights reached by those who had traversed the Star Sea for millennia.

The Heavenly Doctor’s guidance proved invaluable indeed.

Even the “disease” warned of in the void eventually afflicted Holy Embryo Li Fan, catching him entirely off guard.

Just as he was basking in the thrill of an impending breakthrough, an inexplicable wave of lethargy washed over him.

A probe revealed a dark patch festering within his soul.

This stain began eroding his essence, as if insidiously attempting to usurp the host soul.

The array of soul-protecting treasures Li Fan had consumed proved powerless against this intrusion.

His specialized soul-nourishing techniques were equally futile.

“It is not direct damage to my soul, but rather a reduction in my soul’s potential capacity.”

Holy Embryo Li Fan’s expression darkened.

Luckily, the black spot was not metastasizing rapidly, granting him a window to act.

A spectral sword appeared deep within his consciousness.

With a brilliant flash, the sword light sheared off the section of his soul infested by the patch!

As his soul fractured, the Holy Embryo’s sword body split in two as well.

The pristine portion, untainted by the dark corruption, surged away with sudden speed.

The infected half remained, sitting cross-legged in the void to contemplate the bizarre, dark intent within its corrupted soul.

The agony of a split soul is beyond verbal description.

Even sheltered by the Immortal Heart Mantra, Li Fan’s vision blackened, and he nearly collapsed.

A sense of profound weakness, far exceeding his prior state, overwhelmed him. Ignoring both pain and fatigue, he quickly absorbed the refined essence of his remaining soul-nourishing treasures.

Freed from the taint of the black spot, the remainder of his soul began to heal and strengthen once more.

“A desperate measure, akin to scraping bone to cure a sickness.”

Li Fan sighed.

Only because his unique cultivation method ensured his foundation remained intact, and because his core strength was rooted in the Xuanhuang sword dao, could he dare to mutilate his own soul without suffering a total collapse of his sanity.

“Alas, without the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven or the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Method, these external aids are merely a temporary fix.”

“Each severance weakens me further.”

“…”

“I can only pray I survive until I reach the depths of the Star Sea.”

Li Fan closed his eyes, casting aside all distractions to focus on healing his soul.

Meanwhile, the infected fragment left drifting in the void met a grim fate.

It was a demise more horrific than any natural death.

Much like a mortal succumb to dementia, the soul fragment began to think with mounting sluggishness.

Its mind grew dull, eventually struggling to recall even its most basic purpose.

Even the link to the main body’s consciousness was severed by invisible barriers, rendering it unreachable.

At last, it succumbed to total mental stillness.

The soul faded into absolute, stagnant silence.

…

“Much like the Darkest Star Sea itself.”

In the Xuanhuang Realm, within the Derivation Law Space, Li Fan’s main body processed the images sent by the Holy Embryo, a chill settling in his heart.

What caused his frown was not the invisible voids nor the soul-rotting disease of the Star Sea.

It was the temporal discrepancy between his main body and the Holy Embryo.

Having transformed into sword light and harnessed the Star Sea’s power, the Holy Embryo had traveled a significant distance.

Consequently, Li Fan realized that time did not flow uniformly between the Xuanhuang Realm and the deep Star Sea.

“It seems the influence of the Immortal Ruins persists.”

“Though less absolute than at the edges of the Ruins—where millennia vanish in a blink—the flow remains distinct.”

“The current ratio appears to be around one to two.”

“And as the Holy Embryo presses further out, this gap only widens.”

Li Fan could not suppress his deeper fears.

“The Darkest Star Sea within the high wall is clearly under the thrall of the Immortal Ruins. The intensity simply varies by proximity.”

“Does that imply the ticking of time differs on either side of the wall?”

“Could it be that since the ancient immortal path was severed, tens of thousands of years have elapsed in the Xuanhuang Realm?”

“While out there, beyond the wall…”

“Has an even greater span of time slipped away?”

Reflecting on this, Li Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly, hiding a flicker of profound concern.